401 Tech Bridge, a non-profit organization based in Middletown, Rhode Island, is set to host the BlueTIDE 2024 demonstration event on August 29, 2024. This collaborative effort, involving 401 Tech Bridge, the U.S. Navy, and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, promises an opportunity for attendees to assess and evaluate emerging maritime technologies.
The event will feature demonstrations by six teams, representing Rhode Island, New Zealand, and other parts of the U.S., who will compete in simulated mission scenarios. These scenarios will concentrate on several key areas: undersea and multidomain communications, the application of digital twin and virtual worlds in modeling and simulation, persistent monitoring and sensing capabilities, as well as autonomous and uncrewed systems.
Erik Brine, Director of 401 Tech Bridge, highlighted the event’s unique approach. “While the Navy regularly runs exercises, this demonstration event is being executed outside of the Navy fence lines,” he explained. “This provides civilian sector investors and other markets with a chance to see new technologies alongside those of the military. It’s a streamlined way for defense organizations to scout for emerging tech.” “BlueTIDE 2024 allows us to showcase technologies that increase our capabilities and lower the cost of commerce and defense on the world’s oceans,” Brine added. “We’re seeing inventive and interesting things that mean we can put fewer warfighters in danger and protect civilians.”
BlueTIDE 2024 is designed to be a full-day event spotlighting “blue tech,” including interactive exhibits near the shore, company presentations, and two high-tech “command centers” for analyzing mission data. It will also feature speeches from notable figures in ocean tech innovation, like U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, NavalX Deputy Director Scott Bewley, and Marie Bussiere, Technical Director at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport.
According to Brine, the event emphasizes Rhode Island’s growing blue tech ecosystem and reinforces 401 Tech Bridge’s mission to foster innovation, collaboration, and commercialization. Funding for portions of the event is provided by the Office of Naval Research through NavalX and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), in collaboration with Northeast Tech Bridge.
Linda Larsen, 401 Tech Bridge Operations Manager, pointed out the event’s design, which lowers barriers for small businesses to participate. She noted that companies are forming partnerships in novel ways for this event. “In preparation for this event, companies have started to partner in ways they never imagined – almost every one of the 18 companies is integrating with at least one other participant to execute their mission,” said Larsen. The Director said that all of the demonstrated solutions are “dual use technologies” meaning, they have both commercial and defense applications.
A key example is the maritime domain awareness platform from New Zealand’s Starboard Maritime Intelligence. This platform integrates multiple data layers to identify the location and type of vessels, enhancing maritime safety, an industry predicted to reach $47.8 billion by 2029. “BlueTIDE 2024 allows us to showcase technologies that increase our capabilities and lower the cost of commerce and defense on the world’s oceans,” Brine stated. “We’re seeing inventive and interesting things that mean we can put fewer warfighters in danger and protect civilians.”
Data gathered during the exercises will be transmitted to the two command centers at Sail Newport, made possible by the infrastructure provided by sponsors IBM, AWS, and Verizon. Attendees, including representatives from the Department of Defense, venture capital firms, various government agencies, industry partners, and academia, can expect interactive demonstrations and presentations. Attendance will necessarily be limited and requires pre-approval due to venue capacity and other considerations.
Eighteen companies, hailing from Rhode Island, across the U.S., and as far as New Zealand, have formed six teams to compete in mission scenarios designed by the Navy. Most teams will launch from Sail Newport in Fort Adams State Park, while a smaller group will depart from NUWC’s Narragansett Bay Testing Facility. Teams will engage in targeted tasks in the four technology areas previously mentioned: undersea and multidomain communications, digital twin and virtual worlds modeling and simulation, persistent monitoring and sensing, along with autonomous and uncrewed systems. A “Showcase Alley” will offer attendees a chance to interact with new technologies.
Brine and Larsen highlighted a few of the companies that were selected through previous demonstration days. HavocAI, based in Rhode Island, was founded by a retired Navy commander to develop unmanned surface vehicles. These are ideal for low-cost “swarming” applications in defense, and for data collection over large ocean areas by climate researchers or offshore energy operations.
Enginuity Inc., a Canadian engineering company, opened a Middletown, RI, location to offer advanced engineering services, including high-load connectors designed for harsh ocean conditions. Rhode Island’s VATN Systems will showcase its autonomous underwater vehicle, available in multiple sizes. The vehicles can be deployed from a boat or even dropped from a helicopter for search and sensing purposes.
Havguard AS, a Norwegian start-up, focuses on dual-use underwater communication solutions. Inspired by animal behavior, the technology leverages AI and reduced frequency bands to minimize disturbance to aquatic life. Havguard AS CEO Emilie Åsberg expressed her excitement at being included in BlueTIDE 2024. “This is a fantastic chance for us to showcase our innovations at the forefront of underwater technology,” she wrote on LinkedIn. “We are so proud to be part of this robust tech ecosystem, and want to extend our utmost appreciation for the work and effort carried out by 401 Tech Bridge and the US Navy in Rhode Island,” Åsberg wrote.
About 401 Tech Bridge:
401 Tech Bridge is a non-profit organization focused on promoting innovation and commercializing cutting-edge technologies. Through partnerships with industry, academia, and government, 401 Tech Bridge provides collaboration spaces, resources, and access to funding. Additionally, it supports the innovation ecosystem through programs like tech scouting, showcases, experimentation scenarios, and demonstration days. 401 Tech Bridge operates as a business unit of The University of Rhode Island Research Foundation. It gets support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP), the Office of Naval Research, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, The Rhode Island Foundation, and the Van Beuren Charitable Foundation. For more information, visit www.401TechBridge.org.
